The Departed

I didn't like The Departed all that much. It's a very well crafted movie with fine acting and is fairly entertaining. The plot though had a lot of holes in it. There didn't seem to be lots of motivation for the characters, or a general purpose for the direction they take in the movie. The basic mechanics of the plot are off, there are too many ways that everything could of been resolved differently. I mean the characters made choices that are just not plausible or close to what would happen in real life, cops and mobsters are not this stupid or ambitious.

It was rejected by many Scorsese fans I know, but I loved it. I rarely watch movies twice, but I watched this one several times =) The cast is phenomenal, flawless. The cinematography is perfect. I was totally over Leo before I saw this movie but his brooding, pained performance is absolutely captivating. The title is so apt and the soundtrack is excellent. In the past Scorsese has been criticized for glamorizing crime (bullshit, if you ask me) but in this movie he keeps it very cold and gritty.

So GOOOD! And Leonardo DiCaprio makes a REALLY GOOD role! A movie is good if you like it the third time you see it, and I liked it the fifth time too! Ok, it has a few tiny tiny flaws, but they are not that big to ruin it. Before judging it harsh, think about this: The movie is meant to be in the Crime/Mystery/Thriller genre, so don't compare it to dramas: it is meant to be fast paced, exciting, thrilling, yes - it has to have ACTION and shooting and dead guys. You don't compare cabbage with ice cream, they are in DIFFERENT categories, so don't go saying it's bad because it has action and dead guys in it.

Jack is alive and well

'The Departed' was probably one of the worst movies I have seen in recent times. It was just corny. I know, you're probably wondering what does an Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy fan know. All I know is, that it had to be one of the most stereotypical portrayal of anything Irish I have ever seen. From when Jack asks the priest how is clam chowdah is to Jack dying at the end with a Celtics t-shirt on. Give me a break. It just had too many lame asses in it.....Martin Sheen? Screw that. I did think the woman who played Matt Damon's girlfriend was attractive, however.

I didn't like it - it was far too violent for my tastes, although i do think that Leo is a fantastic actor, anyone who disagrees should just watch 'what's eating gilbert grape.'

I daresay given a few years The Departed should be ranked up with The Godfather, Scarface and Goodfellas. Not only do you have an ensemble cast, you also have a generally excellent film. Let's start out: Jack Nicholson plays Frank Costello, notorious crime boss of Boston. Collin Sullivan is a young orphan boy whom Frank takes under his wing at a young age. In that time, he's seen teaching him certain life lessons, and shwoing him the world of the Boston mob, and becoming like a father to Collin. Skip several years to Collin's adulthood, we see him training for the Massachussetts State Police, and graduating, as he will be an informant for Frank and his crew, as Collin's department will specialize in Boston organized crime. Meanwhile, a young man named Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) finds that because of his family roots with the Boston underworld, he can't be a State Policeman, or "Statie". Captain Queenan and Staff Sergeant Dignam (Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg), however, ... Read more

I was very excited to see this movie and had to wait a week before renting it because the video store was sold out. After seeing it I was dissapointed with it. The movie keeps your interest with a great cast and a story about an investigation into an Irish mobster in Boston. Performances by Nicholson, Sheen and DiCaprio are great. However Wahlberg did not deserve an Oscar nomination and the female lead generates no chemistry with Damon or DiCaprio. The storyline keeps the movie moving well enough, but there are too many cliches in it. And seriously, how could Nicholson's character not figure out who the rat in his crew is when the police investigation doesn't seem to gain any ground until after DiCaprio starts working for him? Even The Simpsons made fun of that. Overall the movie is entertaining to see once or twice, but did not deserve Best Picture.

Martin Scorsese finally won the Oscar the whole world felt he was owed in 2006 when he made this new age crime thriller. I have never been a huge follower of Scorsese, but I must admit that in recent years I've come to appreciate some of his finer works and have come to see him for far more than just a `gangster' movie maker. Scorsese actually has a slick resume filled with much more than `GoodFellas' and `Casino'. While I don't think `The Departed' is his best work (neither is `GoodFellas' or `Casino' for that matter) I can say that I understand why he finally won that directing Oscar and can actually say that his win is justified, despite the fact that sympathy played heavily in his favor. Now, when I sat back to finally review this film I came to a major roadblock. One of the most rewarding things about `The Departed' is that it is so unpredictable. Its one biggest flaw (that sloppy ending) is also the films biggest selling point (totally mind blowing in the way it just snea... Read more

Everything under the moon is already written about this fantastic movie..I envy those who are going to be watching it for the 1st time!

I've seen the film only once, which is not quite enough to catch some crucial details about the father at the beginning. But the film is essentially a frantic gangster send-up like "Goodfellas" plus Hamlet with a theological twist: it's the search for identity and for the father, which are essentially the same thing. It's also a film in which DiCaprio is no longer seen as a mere teenager or, recalling Spielberg's leaden caper film, where Sheen is more caricature than believable character. There's a scene in the film between DiCaprio and Nicholson during which I was conscious for the first time that the former could hold his own--as a mature, believable, adult actor--and with the very best of them. And what a crucial scene that turns out to be. In this modern-day "Hamlet" tale about a young man's desperate search for identity, he gains it--threefold--and just at the moment we're convinced he's lost everything. In the film's last incredibly tense, headspinning moments, we learn t... Read more

Awesome movie.  One of my favorites of the last few years.  Leo is great as the shady good guy, and Damon is equally good as the clean cut villain.  When you have Sheen and Nicholson as supporting actors, you're in pretty good shape.  Even Marky Mark played a convincing Boston asshole.

Pues si que me gustó... aunque tener que verla en dos trozos fue mala suerte

i had to watch it a few times because it was hard to follow.

Fantastic mob movie - about the Irish mob this time! LOVE it!

Not quite a success.  The acting was good overall, though Lenny DiCaprio was totally wrong for the lead (he's not a bad actor, he just wasn't right for the part) and Jack Nicholson was too lazy to bother acting (everyone still seems to thinks he's the greatest actor on the planet, but really, he's starting to look and act like Marlon Brando post-Godfather...).More seriously, the operatic style used by Scorcese looks great in NYC, but it simply does not work for Boston.  Likewise, the annoying, over-loud celtic music added nothing to the movie, and was very distracting.  The sub-plot with trading weapons to the Chinese didn't work either, it just seemed contrived; these evil mobsters, they are trading our secrets to the evil Chinee!  The Departed was overpraised due to its all-star cast, the fact that Scorcese is doing a crime movie once again (the others were great, so this one has to be as well...), and general interest in the Irish Mob (the Mafia has been done to death).  Really, thi... Read more

Saw this the other day for the first time. It was pretty good but to be honest I was disappointed. The movie had a killer cast of very talented actors and it was all about the shooting and cussing. There was a decent plot but I doubt I will need to see it again.

Decent mob movie with a twist about the criminal underclass of Boston.

give a four because of an excellent cast. and good directing. the plot is interesting. trying from the beginning trying to guess who the good and bad guys are. the plot keeps a person on their toes. one less star just because of extreme violence. the title says it all a lot of people "departed" in this movie.

Damn good yarn by Scorcese. . .great script. . .decent acting. . .the Academy finally decided to end the conspiracy-theories by giving him the Oscar. . .

My favorite scene is when Nicholson whips out a fake dildo in the porno theatre!

I can't add much to these fine reviews below. For the most part, it did capture the flavor of the city pretty accurately in my view, and, naturally, Wahlberg in particular, being a native, didn't have to stretch for the accent like some actors do. I thought Sheen did a fine job, and you managed to stay interested in the plot. I see what edt4 is getting at with DiCaprio- technically sound- yet, as in Gangs of N.Y., you still get the nagging impression that there's something rather false and unconvincing about him. Nicholson was entertaining, but I do think that sometimes he doesn't know how to play an aging guy and still goes for the wild grinning and what not. It's a good film, but Scorsese isn't what he once was. Edt's also correct in that Scorsese put his mandatory one or more Stones tunes into the film, though I'll give him props for including one of the great underrated ignored by classic hits radio masterpieces in it- the great 'Let It Loose," among my favorites by them. Very good... Read more

As I've written in other comments, I'm a very big fan of the HBO drama series "The Wire", which is about law enforcement efforts to combat homicidal drug gangs in Baltimore. I can't say enough good things about the series; its superbly acted, written, and directed. The only bad thing, I think, is that its spoiled me for everything else. Maybe that's part of the problem I had with "The Departed". I know it's not supposed to be a documentary, or even a semi-documentary, but too much rang false for me too much of the time, particularly the romantic-triangle involving Damon, DeCaprio, and newcomer Vera Farmiga (who apparently grew up in my native Passaic County, NJ). As Minkeydude mentions, the story does zip rapidly along, which is a beneficial thing, considering the film clocks in at 2 and a half hours. Loosely based on the real-life exploits of Irish mob boss Whitey Bulger (Nicholson) and rogue FBI agent John "Zip" Connolly (Damon), as well as a Hong Kong movie I believe is entitled "Wu... Read more

Wow - this story is non-stop, edge of your seat stuff. It's about a crime family of sorts in Boston that is able to infiltrate the Boston PD, thereby escaping any charges. The police are able to sneak a rat into the crime family though and this makes things interesting. There is an all-star cast if I've ever seen one - with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon being the two rats on opposing ends. Jack Nicholson is the main bad dude and he is as excellent as ever, and Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen each have significant roles. Pay close attention to the beginning and ending sequences as there is a lot to take in, and things happen very fast towards the end and you won't want to get lost.